Funny things happen: kilts and the substitute teacher again

[Alan H]

OK, to balance yesterdays rant about the kid that threw a rock at a teacher, let me tell you about a couple of fun/funny/touching things that happened yesterday.

OK, yesterday I wore my JUST-finished grey kilt to school. I literally stayed up until 1:00 AM finishing the hemming ( no sporran/belt loops yet) and pressing the pleats one final time. So of course I had to tell every class that I was wearing a new kilt.

OK so after 2nd period Algebra II this very pretty, small, dark-eyed Indian or Pakistani girl asks me if I'm coming back on Monday. I'd had her in several different classes over the past two weeks. I had to say No, that the teacher was just down in the District Office for a meeting that day, but that I'd be around school for a while, yet...and you never know, right? I got these big eyes and this awkward silence as she looked at me, and it occurred to me that I think I've just inspired my first schoolgirl crush on the teacher...*LOL*... Her boyfriend, who was also in the class didn't look so keen on the whole interaction. He's dark-haired and dark-skinned, but not, I think, Indian.

I saw him in the hallway, later and I dug into my sporran and gave him cards for USA Kilts and Stillwater kilts and told him that he could get a kilt for $40 from Stillwater...be sure to get a sporran too...and "girls dig kilts, if you've got the cajones to wear one".

I'm not sure if I made points with him, or not...laughing

The next story isnt kilt-related, but it's nice.

OK, so I arrived yesterday morning to take this math teachers schedule, and read through her lesson plans. OK, so I dug out the kids textbook and turned to the appropirate pages. ...........uh-oh. The days lesson has to with reducing multivariable equations with both positive and negative exponents. It's not like it's HARD, but I haven't done that in about 30 years......just a touch rusty, you know?

OK, so what I did in 1st and 2nd period is go through the four principles and theorems that were outlined on the pages preceding their homeowrk, and then call up students to do the first seven Homework problems IN FRONT OF THE CLASS...... in other words, have the kids teach their peers.

...this is also known as creatively bailing yourself out of an awkward situation!

Well, in second period this little hispanic girl volunteered to teach a problem, so I handed her the pen and gave her a fresh overhead transparency sheet.. She proceeded to do a *Masterful* job of, it, bouncing each step off of her girlfriend in the back row. They didn't skip a step, they outlined everything on the overhead transparency so that everybody could understand. She injected some humor into it, insisting that all the student call her "Miss Aguirre", and RAISE THEIR HANDS if they wanted to talk. It was pretty funny, but she really did an outstanding job. Not only that but she's cute as a bug, laughs a lot and has a great personality. I was seriously impressed

In sixth period, which is remedial algebra with THIRTY-TWO kids in in, at least half of which have already checked out of school and don't want to be there...in fact will do anything to disrupt class, there was one Hispanic boy sitting in the front row. He didn't make noise, he didn't disrupt anybody. He sat and did the problems on the worksheet. He outlined every step perfectly, his handwriting is impeccable, and he referred to a separate piece of binder paper that he stapled to his worksheet when the steps he took wouldn't fit on the original sheet. He wanted to listen to his ipod while he was doing his work, but because of the discipline problems in class I said "no". He took that with good grace and there was no issue whatsoever. When he got to the last problem, a really tricky word problem, he asked for help and I was impressed by his thoroughness in tackling the problem.

Turns out those two kids are boyfriend and girlfriend; the teacher told me when she showed up at the end of the day. When I was driving out of the school parking lot at the end of the day I saw them walking down the street together. I called them over to my truck and told them that they were a real joy to have in class today, that the young lady had some exceptional talents in both math and communication and that if she ever wanted to be a teacher, she sure had every skill to do it. I asked the boy why on earth he was stuck in a remedial algebra class and he shrugged...diddn't know why. I told him that I'd ask about his test scores and see if there was something we could do....'cause he SURE didn't belong in that class. I will follow up, too. I bet there's been a mistake, somewhere.

That sure brightened my day, and the smiles I got from those two kids as they headed off back down the street sure brightened my day, too.

Finally, on the way home, I pulled into a small shopping center about 3 blocks from school. I got out ofthe car and headed for Jamba Juice to get an after-school snack. I know this Jamba Juice is a bit of an after-school hangout, so I knew I might see a couple of kids I knew, there. 60 feet from the door I hear the shout..."It's Mister Kilt!"...and about 4 boys from the spanish class I'd had the day before came zooming over on their skateboards. So we bump fists and grip hands (you don't "shake hands", you know?) and thump elbows, which is "cool" and yakk for a bit and they all want to know where hey can get kilts because it's COOL...so I handed out more cards,and they zoom off on their skateboards.

All this while, this totally punked out kid....camo cargo shorts, black leather, stainless-steek spiked wristband, tattos on his face... guy is sitting there eating his burrito, staring at me. He says "can I take your picture"....

I'm a little surprised, but I say "sure, why not? Will you e-mail me some copies?" He agrees, and proceeds to snap two pics of me in my new grey kilt.

I ask him..."why do you want the pics?"...and he says .."because you're wearing a kilt and it takes balls to wear a kilt."...OK, well THAT is kind of nice, eh?

So I tell him that I know where he can get camo kilts and his face lights up. So on the sheet of paper that I gave him with my e-mail address on it, I gave him the URL's to Freedom Kilts, Kommando Kilts, Neo Kilt and Utilikilt. I have them all memorized, eh?

I bet any money we're gonna have a newly kilted punk hanging out in Belmont, soon, and I bet Jerry is gonna get some orders for budget kilts, soon, too.

Stuff like that makes your day, ya know?

[Panache]

Alan,

Always enjoy hearing about your interactions with the younger set. It sounds like the schools are getting a heck of a substitute teacher.

Cheers

[mkmound]

Alan,

Always enjoy hearing about your interactions with the younger set. It sounds like the schools are getting a heck of a substitute teacher.

Cheers

Ditto from me also!

[Alan H]

Thanks, guys! I don't think my experiences are really any different from anybody elses, I just write about them more dramatically!

Call it "Literary License"! laffin'

[cessna152towser]

A great day Alan, getting the kilted message out to the younger generation.

[sorcererdale]

Wow, great! Sometimes it just takes an adult, to act like a kid, do their handshakes, etc. to become friends with them. And also being interested in what they have to say and do also helps. I have lots of young friends and it helps me "stay" young, too. I am in a community theater setting and get to know lots of young people.

With the new forum I somehow missed the story about the rock throwing, can you give the link or maybe it didn't even make it here.

Thanks and keep up the rapport with the kids!

P.S. I did find it after the forum settled in to its new mode!

DALE.

[Frank McGrath]

I wish subs at my schol were like you.